Claw bar



Feb. 10, 1942. B. J. BARKER CLAW BAR Filed May 26, 1941 Prlbr //r/' InlfenlEr firuce ffiar/er Patented Feb. 1942 ED; smres PATENT 6 Claims.

This invention relatesto improvements inclaw bars and it consists of, the matters hereinafter described and more particularly pointed; out in the appended claims.

The claw bars with which the; present invention is more especially concerned are of the'kind used in pulling or withdrawing spikes from. theties of a railroad track. The conventional. type of claw bar, of which many are in use for the purpose mentioned, consists. of. a lever-like. bar having a foot that includes a bifurcated part at one end providing the spike head. engaging claw, and a heel at the other end. about-which the bar is fulcrumed in pulling a. spike.v As heretofore made, the conventional claw bar is open towertain objections, whichthe present invention see to overcome.

For instance, in. the use of the conventional bar, occasionally the head of a spikefis broken.

off and flies into space with great force. Should the flying spike head strike the workman, using the bar, serious injuriesoften result. Also,.when the spike head breaks off under the bearing down pressure on the bar, the workmans hand suffers painful injuries by forcefully hitting adjacent ties, rails or the larger stones in they ballast. Again, in the use of the conventional claw bar, the toe is sometimes driven into position with respect to the spike operated upon, by the use,

This not only requires the to provide a simple means for converting a con ventional type claw bar into one capable of use for its intended purpose, with safety for the workmen against personal injury and which at the same time will not bend the spike to an extent making it unfit for reuse.

Another object of the invention is to provide simple and efficient means adapted to be attached to the toe end of the foot of a conventional type claw bar, for not only restraining a spike head from flying into space, should it break off from the shank of the spike, but also to provide a second claw for engagement with the spike in removing the same from a tie without, swinging the bar about its fulcrum through the arc necessary in the use of the conventional type claw bar, which causes a bending of the spike.

Again, it is an object of the invention to provide simple, and efficient means which may be readily attached to a conventional type claw bar, without weakening the same, for the purpose of providinga guard that prevents engagement of the, workmans hand with parts of the track in a manner often resulting in painful injury to the hand.

The above mentioned objects of the invention as, well as Others, together with the advantages thereof, will more fully appear as the specification proceeds.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a View in side elevation of a conventionaltype claw bar, of which many are in service today and which, according to the present invention, may be readily made into a safer and more eficient claw bar, at a very low cost.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the conventional type claw bar appearing in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view in side elevation of the claw bar appearing in Fig. 1, after it has been modir fied or made into a safer andmore efficient bar attachment to the claw or toe end of the foot 1 of the conventional type claw bar of Fig. 1.

Fig, 7 is. a bottom View of the shield appearing iniFigrfi. I

Fig. 8 is. a perspective'view of a certain ful'-. crurn block forming a part of the invention and which isadapted for attachment to the heel of the foot of the. conventional type claw bar of" Fig. 9. is a fragmentary perspective view of a certain hand guard forming a part of my inven tion and which is adapted for attachment to a part of the. conventional type claw bar of Fig. 1 as will later appear.

The conventional type claw bar, such as shown in Fig. 1, comprises a. lever-like bar It usually about five feet longandenlarged at one end to, provide a foot! I and. formed at the other end, with a point l2;

The foot has a somewhat.

rounded bottom l3 which terminates at one end at the toe M of the foot and merges at its other end into a fulcrum heel 15. The toe end of the foot is widened out laterally and has a central recess [6 and laterally spaced prongs l'l that define the claw of the bar. Such a bar is usually made as a forging and is properly hardened throughout.

In the use of such a bar, the spaced prongs I! of the toe are engaged under the head of the spike, at which time at least a part of the neck of the spike (not shown) is disposed in the recess. By bearing down on the other end of the bar, the foot H fulcrums about the heel l5 and lifts or withdraws the spike. In order to dispose the prongs under the head of certain spikes, it is often the custom to drive the prongs under the spike head. This is accomplished by another workman striking the back of the heel with a track maul while the first workman holds the bar.

In drawing or pulling spikes, with a conventional type claw bar, the spike sometimes breaks off at the neck and as there is nothing on the top side of the foot to confine the head, it flies into space with great force. If the flying head strikes the workmen, a serious injury'often results. When a spike breaks in the fashion mentioned, the other end of the bar, released from its lift resistance, slams downwardly. It usually carries the operators hands therewith to so forcefully engage the fingers of the hands against the road bed or adjacent track parts as to bruise, mash and sometimes break the fingers.

In order to convert or make the conventional type claw bar into one wherein the Workman is fully guarded against the possible injuries above mentioned, I provide certain parts which may be attached to conventional type claw bars, whether new ones or those in service, and such parts are shown in perspective in Figs. 6, 8, and 9 respectively.

In Fig. 6 is shown a shield element that includes a hollow body I8 that is open at the front l9 and at the bottom and is closed at the top and at the'rear end. In the front end of the top is a longitudinal recess 2| and in the bottom edge of the body is a plurality of bevelled portions 22 for welding purposes. The shield above mentioned has a plan contour to fit on the front end of the top surface of the toe 14. When said shield is positioned on the toe, the recess 2| is disposed above the recess [6 in the toe and the open front is substantially fiush with the front extremity of the prongs l1--I1. Strips of Welding 23 (see Fig. 4) are then laid in the bevelled recesses 22 to attach the shield to the foot. The shield thus provides a chamber above the toe of sufficient height and area amply to receive the head of a railroad spike. It is pointed out that by welding the shield to the foot as mentioned, no such welding heat is applied to the end portions of the prongs I! of the toe, as will withdraw the hardness therefrom. Such welding is sufficient for the purpose because in the use of the shield part of the bar for pulling, the welding is placed under compression.

In Fig. 8, I have illustrated a heel lift element 24 of a somewhat right angular or L shape to include a body portion 24 and tapering end portions 26 and 21, the former being longer than the latter. This element has a top surface 28 of a contour to fit upon the heel l5 of the bar, the extension 26 fitting a part of the bottom of the foot and the extension 21 fitting the curve where the heel joins the bottom of the bar [0. The longitudinal corners of the top surface of the lift element are bevelled as at 29. When the lift element 24 is in place upon the foot and heel parts of the bar, a line of welding 3!] (see Fig. 5) is laid in each groove defined by the bevelled edges 29 and associated parts of the claw bar.

In Fig. 9 I have illustrated a fragment of a hand guard member that includes a bar portion 3| having a somewhat upwardly extended arm 32 at each end. Each arm terminates in a semicylindrical bar engaging portion 33 of such cross sectional shape as to partially surround that part of the bottom of the bar ID with which it is engaged. When positioned upon the bar, the edges of the portions 33 are welded thereto as at 34.

In the use of the bar embodying the parts described and best shown in Figs. 3, 6, 8 and 9, the prongs I! of the toe [4 are engaged under a spike head as before, and this disposes the spike head in the chamber as provided by the shield element. By bearing down upon the opposite end of the bar, it fulcrums about the heel lift and the spike is initially and partially withdrawn from the tie to that extent which will not bend the same. Should the spike head snap off, it cannot fly into space because it is confined by the shield. Also, as the opposite end of the bar swings down rapidly toward adjacent parts of the road bed, the guard 3| will engage the same so that the workman fingers cannot forcefully engage therewith.

When the spike has been initially withdrawn, the bar is removed from the spike and reinserted with the neck of the partially drawn spike disposed in the recess 2| of the shield and with parts of the head of the spike engaged on the top of the shield at each side of the recess. This provides a second bite for the bar which is then swung downwardly as before about the heel lift 24 as a fulcrum to impart the final lift to the spike which withdraws it from the tie.

In this respect, it is pointed out that it is only in the initial part of the pulling of the spike that said spike is placed under such tension as will cause the head to snap off. The final lifting movement of the spike is comparatively easy and no such tension develops in the spike as will cause the same to break. Thus, in the two steps of pulling the spike, it is not subjected to a bending strain that will prohibit its reuse.

It is apparent from the above that by means of the invention, I am enabled to convert a conventional type claw bar, many of which are in service, into one which is not only positively safe in use for the workman but which leaves the withdrawn spikes in a condition fit for reuse.

The present invention also contemplates the manufacture of this type of device initially by making the conventional type bar and the shield part separately and then securing them together in the manner previously described. In this way, the main part can be readily forged and the whole device made at much lower cost than would be possible were the entire structure made as a forging.

While in describing the invention, I have referred in detail to the form and arrangement of the parts involved, as well as to one way in which said parts are attached to a conventional claw bar, the same is to be considered only in the illustrative sense so that I do not wish to be limited thereto except as may be specifically set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. As an article of manufacture, a shield adapted for attachment to the end of the foot of a claw bar having a recess therein, said shield comprising a hollow member open at one end and at its bottom and having side and end walls and a top wall portion, there being a recess in the front end of said top wall portion.

2. As an article of manufacture, a shield adapted for attachment to the end of the foot of a claw bar having a recess therein, said shield comprising a hollow member open at one end and at its bottom and having side and end walls and a top wall, the bottom edges of said side and end walls having longitudinally spaced apart welding recesses therein.

3. As an article of manufacture, a shield adapted for attachment to the end of the foot of a claw bar having a recess therein, said shield comprising a hollow member open at one end and at its bottom and having side and end walls and a top wall, there being a recess in the front end of said top wall and the bottom edges of said side and end walls having longitudinally spaced welding recesses therein.

4. A claw bar embodying therein a foot having a toe with a claw forming recess therein at one end and a fulcrum heel at the other end, a hollow shield member open at one end and at the bottom and having side and end walls, the bottom edge of which is engaged upon and welded to the top surface of said toe, with its open end facing the free end of the toe and providing an open front spike head receiving recess above the recess in said toe, there being a recess in that part of the open end of said shield member and disposed above and substantially in line with the recess in the toe.

5. A claw bar embodying therein a foot having a toe with a claw forming recess therein at one end and a fulcrum heel at the other end, a hollow shield member open at one end and at the bottom and having side and end walls, th bottom edge of which is engaged upon the top surface of said toe, with its open end facing the free end of the toe and providing an open front spike head receiving recess above the recess in said toe, said bottom edge have longitudinally spaced recesses therein, and welding disposed in said recesses for securing said shield to said surface of the toe.

6. A claw bar embodying therein a foot having a toe with a claw forming recess therein at one end and a fulcrum heel at the other end, a hollow shield member open at one end and at the bottom and having side and end walls and a top wall portion, the bottom edge of said side and end walls being engaged upon and'welded at longitudinally spaced points to the top surface of the toe with its open end facing the free end of the toe and providing an open spike head receiving recess above said toe, said top wall portion of the shield having a recess at its front end disposed above the recess in said toe.

BRUCE J. BARKER. 

